Product Info

Studio

Shin-Ei Animation, Miyu Productions

Director

Yôko Kuno, Nobuhiro Yamashita

Genre

Animation, Drama, Family, Fantasy

Rated

NA

Theatrical Release Date (NA)

Nov 15, 2024

Film Length

1hr 37min

Purchase From

Animated film Ghost Cat Anzu is based on a manga series of the same name. The unique animation and mostly laid-back story will draw the audience in, but there are some pacing issues along the way.

The Cat Never Grows Old

The story begins with an 11-year-old girl named Karin and her father Tetsuya visiting Tetsuya’s father who resides in a temple in a rural town. Being not on good terms with his father, Tetsuya asks for money to pay off a loan shark. His father asks him to leave but agrees to let Karin stay while Tetsuya tries to make money to pay the loan. Tetsuya promises Karin he’ll pay it off and return to the temple on her mother’s death anniversary.

After Tetsuya leaves town, Karin witnesses a figure parking his motorcycle at the shrine, a large cat named Anzu. This is no ordinary cat: this peculiar feline can walk and talk like a human. Karin’s grandfather explains that Anzu was found as a kitten over thirty years ago and never grew old. Now, Anzu makes his living giving massages around town and enjoys spending some of his cash gambling. He drives without a license because he doesn’t think animals need one, but that excuse doesn’t fly when he gets pulled over. Now, he must use a bicycle instead of his motorcycle around town to avoid trouble.

The humanoid cat is a likable character with a laid-back attitude, and his dialogue with Karen and others is humorous. For example, he’ll call Karin “Lying Karin” due to her stretching the truth to get money. However, Anzu isn’t a figure kids should look up to. He becomes pretty violent when he finds out his bike is stolen. He takes a kitchen knife, tapes it to a stick, and stabs a screen door with it to vent his frustration. While it looks to be more of a comical moment for the audience and more forgiving as a joke in Japan, it doesn’t translate as well for younger audiences in other countries.

Even so, Anzu is asked by Karin’s grandfather to watch over Karin until her father comes back to retrieve her. During Karin’s stay, she befriends a couple boys who are the same age as her, waits at the train station for her father’s return, and at times causes mischief, such as stealing and throwing Anzu’s bicycle in the river in town. Karin has a good heart, but it’s clear she is under emotional stress, feeling doubtful that her father will return, among other things.

Steady Wins the Race

Most of the film takes place in the rural countryside, but the final third has Anzu and Karin visiting Tokyo and even the supernatural underworld. The pacing is smooth at first, but then varies after the film reaches the countryside before going at full speed once the story moves to Tokyo. The events that occur in Tokyo take a 180 degree turn from there.

The relationship between Anzu and Karin starts off distant and doesn’t start to build until the events in Tokyo. The yokai that Anzu and Karin befriend are amusing and caring despite how weak they are physically. Oddly, while the supernatural elements get enough screen time, it feels like there’s more to explore between the two leads, Anzu and Karin. The combination of a cat that never dies and a girl dealing with loss is an interesting one, but the film’s hour and a half running time doesn’t provide much room. Every scene and line of dialogue really needs to count for something as a result, and the script fell just short.

A Different View

The film’s animation style stands out compared to many other 2D animated films today. It utilizes rotoscoping, which closely matches real-like movements and environments, and uses simple drawings and colors to furthermore provide a distinct visual style. Like the story itself, it has one foot in reality and one foot elsewhere. In a similar fashion, the music is whimsical but only in certain scenes. The movie is equally fine with using background noises such as waterfalls, cicadas and other environmental noises as the soundscape.

The Final Meow

For a movie about a young girl going through a rough time in her life and a cat that can’t die, Ghost Cat Anzu makes for an amusing and enjoyable watch. Its distinctive 2D animation and mostly countryside setting eases the audience in and not even a little uneven pacing can dispel the mood. This cat can stick around any day.

An early screening provided for this review. Ghost Cat Anzu lands in theaters in the US on November 15, 2024. Viewers can visit the official website for tickets and additional information.